Emptiness
by pain17ification
Summary: What happens when Naruto, tainted by the Darkness, comes across an artifact that brings it out? What happens when his Darkness is his Heart and his Mother's Will given physical form? Well, you'll just have to read and see! Antihero Naruto! Gray Orochimaru and Gray Kyuubi! (This is dedicated to my Lost Love, Natasha)
1. Chapter 1: Meeting my Shadow

**Hello to everyone on FanFiction! I am pain17ification bringing you a crossover story that I have made to honor someone special to me.**

**Recently, my girlfriend of over a year, Natasha, has passed away. Before she passed, she and I worked on figuring out this story idea and I promised to post it in her memory.**

**So, my dear Natasha, this FanFiction is for you.**

**I own nothing save for the idea of this story!**

**X-x-X-x-X**

_Emptiness Chapter One_

_Meeting my Shadow_

**X-x-X-x-X**

Within the forests of the Land of Fire, there is a village. Within that village, there are streets and alleyways. Deep in the corner of one of those alleyways, shivering in a wooden crate being pelted by pouring rain, sat a young child.

This child was no older than seven years of age. His hair was a vibrant red with blonde side bangs that framed his face. His violet eyes were clenched shut as he shivered and hugged his body to stay warm while his ragged brown shorts and orange shirt provided little protection from the cold. His feet were bare and calloused from walking the rough streets while a tattered and filthy scarf covered his whisker marked cheeks.

This boy, this poor lonely child, was Uzumaki Naruto. He was known by many as a plague and a waste of life while only a handful truly saw him as just a cursed child. For you see, this child housed a terrible creature known as the Kyuubi, which had attacked the Hidden Leaf Village on the night of his birth. He was chosen, out of thousands of citizens in the village, to have the beast sealed into him.

By all accounts, and by the last wish of the late Fourth Hokage, the boy should've been seen as a hero for holding such a vicious creature at bay without even realizing it. Unfortunately, the loss of life suffered from the village and its citizens was far too great to simply brush aside. They needed an outlet for their grief.

And for one very unfortunate child, he was that outlet.

At first they did physical harm to him, but the ANBU had put a stop to those attacks after the first three years once the Third Hokage found out about them. So, they went for sabotaging his life by treating him like a plague. They shunned him, scorned him, cursed him name as he passed them, and denied him any possessions. The boy was only able to be in clothes due to finding some in the trash, and even then they were oversized for him.

It was just a year after they stopped physically hurting him, when the child was four years, of age that he was thrown out of the orphanage he was staying in. And so, for three years, the young Uzumaki had done whatever he could to survive. He dug through trash for food, found an abandoned alley to set up his "home", and he did whatever he could to stay away from the village populace.

Fortunately, the Kami were not without mercy since the boy was lucky enough to have a few people help him. One of those people was a young ANBU in a Weasel mask that had taken to teaching the boy basic learning whenever he had time. This consisted of reading, writing, basic math, and the difference between right and wrong.

Another person who helped him was an eccentric man with a strange bowl-styled hair and even stranger fashion sense. Like the ANBU before him, he was not able to do much for the boy, but that didn't stop him from showing the child the fastest routes around the village. He had also taught the boy some useful evasive maneuvers so that he could move more easily through the more tricky routes.

The last person to help him was no longer in the village. He was a man with strangely white skin and eyes reminiscent of an animal the boy once saw in the park inside the village. He was by far the most helpful to the boy. When he was kicked out, he had run into the man on the first week of his time on the streets. The man had taught him how to access the inner energy known as chakra, something the boy had quite an abundance of. The other thing he taught the boy was philosophy, which might sound strange to teach a four year old, but it was something the child took to heart.

By the time the man had left, the boy had learned of the Light and the Darkness within each person and how they affect the Heart. The boy never got a name, but the man had told him to look for a "White Snake" if he survived long enough to leave the village.

Lightning raced across the stormy clouds followed by a crack of thunder. This was definitely one of the Leaf's more terrible storms. The boy didn't seem bothered by this though. He was already cold, wet, and hungry. What were some bright lights and loud sounds to him in his current state?

It was a couple hours later – around midnight – that the boy decided to try and find another shelter. He left his wooden crate "home" and trekked through the pouring rain and slightly flooded streets. The rain made it hard to see, so he decided to try the nearby forests to search for a thick enough canopy that could shelter him.

He passed by many trees and a couple of small streams as he walked. He even saw a few animals that were also seeking shelter, but they ran from him when he got close. This saddened the boy, for even an animal's company would have been a blessing for him.

He kept walking and hugged his body for heat as he let his mind wander. All he could really remember about his place in the village was how the populace referred to him as a "monster", a "demon", or an "abomination". This made him think; were they right? Was he nothing more than a monster that scared off even small creatures? He sniffled at that thought, the rain hitting his face so that the tears he held back flowed freely.

Unknown to him, his Heart had taken another step toward the Darkness that the white-skinned man had told him about. Each time he suffered, his Heart took another step, getting closer and closer to the deep Darkness and further away from the radiant Light.

It wouldn't be long until his Heart finally reached that Darkness and engulfed itself into it.

As he kept walking and silently crying at his thoughts, he took note of a small abandoned shrine that was built against a mountainside. The shrine looked incredibly aged from the passing of time, but the strange spiral symbol that rested above the entrance was perfectly intact.

Seeing nothing better, and wishing to get out of the cold rain, the boy quickly rushed inside. Once he stepped in, he was met with no raindrops hitting him and a slight warmth in the temperature. He couldn't help the small smile that came to his face as he wiped away any remaining tears and rain on his face. Taking a look around the immediate area, he was met with aged wood and plant life growing through cracks on the floor. However, it was the wall on the other side of the entrance that caught his eye.

Resting on the wall were dozens of ornate masks, each with a different facial design on them. It was strange to the boy since he felt _something_ from the masks, yet he hadn't the faintest idea what it was or why he felt it.

Something else then caught his eye. On a small pedestal in front of the wall of masks, there was a slightly broken crown as black as the evening sky. It was a six-pronged crown that had two of its prongs broken and, strangely, two bright yellow spots where Naruto assumed was the "front" of the mask.

He gently picked up the damaged artifact and turned it over to get a better look. Meanwhile, the Darkness within his Heart called out to the crown, and the crown to it. It was because of these calls that the young child suddenly had a thought enter his head.

_'This thing is pretty cool,'_ he mused. _'I wonder how it'd fit on me…'_

Giving into the curiosity, he slowly placed the crown on his head. That's when things went strange for the child. The crown suddenly tightened on his head, sticking itself to him, while a crooked yellow smile appeared on the "face" of the crown just beneath the eyes. Said eyes were glowing brighter and brighter while the young red-blonde's eyes grew duller and duller.

The next thing he knew was blackness.

**X-x-X-x-X**

Violet eyes bleared open as the young Uzumaki groaned and raised his body to a sitting position. He took a look around and saw that he was on an open plain in the evening with clouds blocking any source of light from what would be the moon and stars.

A dirt path was before him and he decided to walk down it since he had no idea what else to do. He travelled down the dirt road before he reached an old abandoned fortress with the top destroyed.

This was far too confusing to him, so he cupped his hands over his mouth and called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

At first it was quiet before a loud rumbling was heard and a sudden bunch of deep orange fur began to rise from the broken roof of the fortress. The fur was revealed to belong to a giant fox that easily reached that mountainside in the village that had those faces carved into it.

Blood red eyes with black slit pupils looked down at him, freezing him in place at the sheer power they held. The child gulped in fear as the fox's shoulders from its forelimbs became visible and it sat at its full height while nine tail tips rose from behind it and laid atop the fortress.

The fox's eyes narrowed as a deep voice asked, **"Do you know who I am, child?"**

The boy shivered in fear as he shook his head in denial. "I-It can't be… Y-You're supposed to have been killed by the Fourth… The Kyuubi is dead."

Red eyes rolled in annoyance at that. **"Of course you don't know… Not like knowing I reside inside you is worth knowing after all,"** it commented in a sarcastic tone. **"Child, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the greatest of the Nine Bijuu. I was sealed into you by the Fourth Hokage; not killed as you were made to believe."**

The boy took a step back in fear, but he tripped over something that made him fall to the ground beneath him. Confused, he took a look at what tripped him and was surprised to see a black creature with bright violet eyes looking at him. It had a vaguely humanoid body structure with a round, spherical head. It also had two long, twisted antennae sprouting out of the top of its head and each of its hands had three clawed fingers while its feet were large and lacked any discernible digits.

"What in the world…?" murmured the boy as the creature continued to stare at him before it turned to the fox and walked up to it. The red-blonde saw the fox stare at the creature blankly, as if already bored by it, before it began moving as if talking.

He was too far to hear anything, if there was anything to even hear, and he saw the fox raise a brow in question before the other followed suit in surprise. The Kyuubi then turned back to him, making him flinch on instinct, before it called, **"Boy, get over here. This creature is far more connected to you than you realize."**

He gulped again in fear before he slowly approached the two and stood next to the creature. Said creature surprised him by gently grabbing his hand reassuringly, making him turn to see it staring at him.

**"That creature was brought to life as soon as you put on that crown in the shrine you're in. It has merged with you and…well, become a part of you."**

"What do you mean?"

**"I mean that it **_**is**_** you; partially, anyway. This creature went from the crown to your Heart and then…split from you. In other words, the creature is your Heart given a physical form, boy."**

Violet eyes widened in pure shock as he looked to the creature and saw it nod. It then poked at the center of his chest, making him place a palm over it; though something felt off.

Confused, and growing more worried, he took off his shirt and gaped at the heart-shaped hole that had taken residence in the center of his chest. Shakily, he raised a hand to the hole and poked it through, gasping and jerking it back when he was able to touch his _back_ from the _other side_.

"W-What happened to me?!" he cried out in fear. "What is this?!"

_"Do not be afraid, my King,"_ soothed a soft feminine voice, making him look for the source. _"I am down here, my Lord."_

Freezing, he turned and looked down at the creature. "Y-You…?" he stammered.

The creature nodded. _"Yes… I resided in the Dark Crown you placed upon your head and merged with the Darkness within your Heart before I __**became**__ your heart and split myself from you."_ It then bowed low, showing its allegiance to the red-blonde boy. _"I swear to stand beside you and keep your Heart safe from those who seek to destroy it."_

**"She speaks the truth, boy, for she has also merged with something else that resided within your Heart."**

"Something else?" asked the boy.

**"Yes… You see, on the night of the sealing, two people placed the remainder of their power within you to help with the seal; the Fourth Hokage and his wife. The Fourth placed his power within the seal directly while his wife moved herself toward your Heart."** It gestured to the dark creature with its head and finished, **"I sense a piece of the woman within the creature while the remainder of her power moved to the seal with the Fourth's."**

"Why was she in there too? I can understand the Fourth since he would want to make sure his seal works. But why her?"

_"I can answer that for you, my King,"_ answered the creature. _"The woman's power closely resembles your own. If I had to guess, I'd say that she was a relative of yours; most likely your mother."_

His eyes widened in shock as the Kyuubi nodded in affirmation. **"Correct. Your mother placed the remainder of her being within you. And since she was the Fourth's wife…"**

"…that makes me his son," finished Naruto in a whispered tone. "I-I can't believe it…"

_"My Lord?"_ asked the creature in concern.

**"Be still, creature. The child is trying to sort out all of this. It is too much for someone as young as him."**

The creature turned to the fox and replied, _"If it is too much, then as his vassal I will shoulder the pain for him. It is my duty and honor to my King as his Heartless."_

**"Heartless**/Heartless?" asked both fox and human.

_"Yes; beings created from the Darkness of people who have lost their Hearts. Since I have become your Heart, and it is so submerged in the Darkness, I am a unique Heartless. As you grow, my Lord, so too will I."_

Naruto frowned in thought before he sighed in resignation. "Alright… But, you need a name for yourself since calling you me or my Heart would be too weird."

_"As you wish, my King. What shall I be called then?"_

**"If I could make a suggestion just for the sake of time, how about calling her 'Kage'? She is a creature of Darkness and Shadow and she represents you cursed Heart, after all."**

"Kage…" repeated Naruto, testing the name before nodding. "Yea, I suppose that could be a good name. What do you think?"

_"If my Lord approves, then I will accept it."_

"You're not going to be my servant, Kage. You are a part of me, so that makes you my friend and family," admonished the boy with a smile.

Kage looked to him in what Naruto assumed was shock. _"M-My Lord…"_ she murmured softly in surprise before the same crooked smile that had appeared on the crown appeared on her face, though there was no malice behind it. _"Yes, I would be honored to be called as such by you, my King."_

Naruto smiled back while the fox smirked. **"Good… Now that we have that figured out, I have a request to make of you, child."** Once it had Naruto's attention, the Kyuubi continued, **"There was a third party involved the night of the sealing. You see, your mother held me inside her before you did and someone else ensured my release from her after your birth. He then controlled me with an accursed eye known as the Sharingan. I want you to find him and make him pay for what he has done."**

Tilting his head, the boy asked back, "Who was he?"

**"He called himself Uchiha Madara, but his chakra was nowhere near as dark as **_**his**_**. My guess is that he was either a fanatic of that man or, more disturbingly, a student of his. In any case, he will be a very difficult foe for you, so you must gain both strength and support before you go after him."**

Nodding, the red-blonde replied, "Aright, I'll do my best fox. Kage and I will grow strong and get others to help us; but I will not get that help from this village. For all I care, they can rot."

The fox raised a brow at the boy's words while Kage commented, _"It appears the Darkness has finally begun to influence my Lord."_

**"What will change about him?"**

_"His emotions will darken and he will have a higher desire for vindication. He will also gain a high level of apathy for many things. Since I am his Heart, I hold most of his Light while he holds most of the Darkness."_

**"Couldn't you just return to him and give him his Light back?"**

_"It's too soon for that. The sudden infiltration of Light would be too much for him to take and he'd lose himself to the clashing energies. He needs to grow, and so do I before we can merge again. And when we do, my Lord will finally reach his peak and be the King he was meant to be."_

The fox hummed thoughtfully at that as it looked to the boy. It was truly disturbing seeing how the humans had treated him in their fear and rage. It was what made the Kyuubi second guess a lot of its earlier choices. In the end, it decided to aid the boy should he need it, but it wasn't into the idea of establishing any kind of friendship with him. They were two beings with common interests; nothing more.

Still, the boy looked horrible in those rags of his. So, the fox decided to use its unique gift that was given to it by the Rikudo Sennin to fix that. With a flux of its chakra, the red-blonde's form became engulfed in dark red smoke before his new outfit was revealed.

He was dressed in a black leather coat with a large collar that reached his ears even when folded back and was kept closed by a black belt with a silver buckle around his waist. The coat had a red-violet lining in the front, the sleeves of his coat ended in metal rings in place of normal cuffs, and he wore black leather gloves with an odd, black and red, fin-like growth on his right forearm. His chest was exposed, showing his heart-shaped hole and that he wore some sort of grey strap around his abdomen with two black belts over it, as well as two brown, overall-like straps that intersected over his chest. He wore black pants and knee-high boots of the same color, with two grey belts wrapped around each boot and he wore a silver pauldron over each shoulder. To finish the outfit, two navy blue wings sprouted out from either of his hips. (1)

The fox nodded at its work while Naruto looked over his knew attire. "Whoa… This is nice…very nice," he praised before he looked to the Kyuubi and nodded. "Thanks for this, fox."

**"Bah, you looked horrible in those rags, so I gave you a more professional look. Those clothes are tied to my chakra, so I can repair them and have them grow with you. I can also give them some extra weight should you go into speed training."**

"Good to know. Well, I look forward to working with you, fox. Kage and I will be counting on your support."

**"Whatever, child,"** replied the fox as it laid back down inside the fortress that acted as its prison. **"Just make sure to grow strong enough on your own so that I won't have to save your sorry ass each time you're in a fight."**

Naruto chuckled at that and nodded while he and Kage became enshrouded in shadows and left the seal. Darkness had been born that night, and the world would need to be prepared for the storm that Naruto would bring.

**X-x-X-x-X**

1~ He looks like Sephiroth from Kingdom Hearts 2, but no wing on his back

**Well, there we are with chapter one! I hope that you all enjoyed it and look forward to the next chapter!**

**Now, I'm going to try something a little different for the pairing compared to my other works. This story will have Naruto paired with a Fem Orochimaru clone as well as a Tsunade clone; both of them being his age! Wish me luck on this and both of their picture links are on my profile!**

**Again, I'd like to point out that this FanFiction is dedicated to my lost love. I write this in her memory and I appreciate you all reading this.**

**pain17ification**


	2. Chapter 2: Heart of Hatred

**Hello to everyone on FanFiction! I am pain17ification bringing you chapter two of this story!**

**I own nothing from the original works owned by Kishimoto and Disney!**

**X-x-X-x-X**

_Emptiness Chapter Two_

_Heart of Hatred_

**X-x-X-x-X**

A soft groan was heard from the ruined Uzumaki Shrine as a red-blonde child slowly rose to a sitting position. A hand went to hold the side of his head as he groaned, hoping to stave off the pain he was currently experiencing. Unfortunately, it did nothing to help him.

"Ugh, my head," he moaned out. "What a weird vision…"

_"I assure you that it was no vision, my Lord,"_ spoke a familiar feminine voice. The boy froze and turned to his side to see bright violet eyes looking at him from his own shadow. _"Everything that happened inside the seal was real. You even have the signs of my creation and the Kyuubi's change to your attire."_

His hand immediately went to his chest and slipped into the heart shaped space that now occupied it. The feeling of nothing where skin and bone was supposed to be was disconcerting to say the least, but he knew that his Heart had taken a new form. He then turned to a broken mirror and looked upon his reflection, taking note of the dark clothing he was wearing as well as how his sclera had changed to a pure black while his violet irises remained the same.

"I thought it was just a dream…"

_"Understandable, given your situation, my King; however, it was all real. My oath to you was real as well. I will stay by you and keep your Heart safe from those who would seek to destroy it."_

Naruto looked to her before he smiled softly. "Thanks, Kage." He then rose to his full height and took notice of the storm having finally let up to a calm sprinkle. "I suppose we should rest here for the night before we head back to the village. I have class in the morning after all."

_"Class? You mean for your ninja career?"_

"Yes, for my ninja career. I'm last in the class, but that's only because of the teachers seeing me as the fox in human skin."

_"That is foolish. You are not a fox incarnate; you are __**Darkness**__ incarnate."_

The human Heartless smirked at his Shadow's words and nodded absently. "Darkness incarnate… That sounds perfect."

**X-x-X-x-X**

The next morning, Naruto was seen walking through the village streets during the early morning hours. A scarce number of people were outside at this hour, and they were much too tired to even take notice of him. The Uzumaki was heading to the Academy building where he would wait in the classroom for his teachers and fellow students to show up.

Kage meanwhile was watching out for any would be assaulters against her Lord from his shadow. She would poke her head out at some points to get a better view on people Naruto passed, but she mostly kept to his shadow. As far as she knew, her Lord was a target of the masses due to their hatred of the beast he carries. She wouldn't let anyone get to him.

Getting inside the empty classroom was a breeze for Naruto since he had done so many times before. All he did was enter the building through the roof and pick the lock on his classroom's door before he would take his usual spot at the back of the room and wait patiently. This was routine for him, with the only difference of being literally Heartless and letting his Heart personally scour the room out of curiosity.

Unknown to them both, they were being watched by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. He was an elderly man who had to retake the position of Kage of the Hidden Leaf after the loss of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth. He was watching Naruto through the crystal ball that was on his desk, which allowed him to see through another person's eyes so long as he kept a steady flow of chakra.

Through the red-blonde's eyes, he saw the empty classroom and the strange shadowy creature moving along the floors and walls as if it was flush against them. It certainly intrigued him since he had never seen such a creature before.

It surprised him further when it spoke. _"My Lord, when will you learn to harness your Darkness?"_

He heard Naruto reply, "After school. I'll head back to the Shrine and see what I can do. You'll be teaching me, right Kage?"

_"Of course!"_ Sarutobi heard the happiness in the creatures tone. It seemed quite happy to help. _"I'll teach you basic maneuvers and we'll slowly lead up to Key Summoning."_

This caught the old man's ear, and apparently Naruto's as well since the orb showed his vision focusing more on the creature. "Key Summoning?" he asked with unhidden interest.

The creature nodded with a crooked smile growing out of its shadowy skin. _"Hai, it is the highest form of Light or Dark control. You summon forth a Key that becomes your weapon, and its affinity depends on the one you are attuned to."_

"So, I would be summoning a Key of Darkness… What if I came across a Key of Light?"

_"That depends on how deep your Heart is in the Light or Darkness. Since I am your Heart and hold the last of your Light, you wouldn't be able to handle a Light Key. However, once we've merged again, then you will be able to handle both kinds."_

Naruto was heard humming in thought. "I see…"

Sarutobi cut the connection there, frowning in thought at what he had witnessed. Obviously something had happened to Naruto, and this "Kage" creature was connected to it. The talk of Light, Darkness, and Hearts reminded him eerily of his lost student that had suddenly disappeared from the village.

However, the strangest thing about it was that his last meeting with his student was of him excitedly talking about a "breakthrough" and a discovery that would "reshape the world". The man had thought his student had gone mad, but he was unable to say anything since the younger man had then left without a word of goodbye. All of his labs were cleaned and his personal contributions to the village library were taken as well.

_'What are you doing now, Orochimaru? Would you have something to do with this?'_

He was brought out of his thoughts when his secretary clocked in and began to inform him of his meetings for the day. Deciding to proceed with his busy day, he put the thoughts of Naruto and Orochimaru aside for now.

Back at the classroom, Kage had long since returned to her Lord's shadow before the teacher and students began arriving a half an hour later. Most of the students looked to the red-blonde's new outfit in surprise while some of the female students blushed at how "cool" he looked. A certain pale-eyed girl was one of them.

Naruto had unknowingly gained a small beginning of a fanclub.

Of course, the rest of the girls saw this as another attempt for Naruto to try and upstage "Sasuke-kun" and they waved off his new look. It was amusing to Kage since not a single student commented on the gaping heart-shaped hole in his chest. Granted, it was covered just slightly by his clothes, but it was still there.

The class day had gone off as normally for the Uzumaki as possible. Once again, he was overlooked by the teachers when he volunteered himself and ignored by his fellow classmates. He was used to this, so he decided to just stay silent for once. Kage was busy observing the other students, so he tried something else.

_'Hey Kyuubi, can you hear me?'_

**"Of course I can, human. What do you want?"**

_'I was wondering if you wouldn't mind talking. I'm obviously not going to learn anything here.'_

**"Indeed… To think that this counts as a Ninja Academy nowadays. Pitiful; just pitiful… I remember seeing this through your mother's eyes, and it makes **_**this**_** look like a school for infants."**

_'How intense was it?'_

**"Boy, if your class had that time's standards, not even **_**half**_** of the students would make the cut."**

_'Yeesh… Sounds crazy hard.'_

**"Well, it was during a time of war, so of course standards were higher. If I had to give my opinion, I'd say that you could make the cut."**

_'Really?'_ asked Naruto in surprise.

**"While your body is malnourished from a lack of proper diet – not your fault, I know – you definitely have the raw talent and you can think on the fly. Your escapes after your pranks are proof of that much."**

_'Gee, thanks fox. That means a lot!'_

The Kyuubi rolled its eyes at the boy's grateful reply. **"Bah, thanking a chakra beast for speaking its opinion. You're a strange human, boy."**

_'You know, you __**could**__ call me by my name, y'know? And while we're talking about names, what's your name? It can't be Kyuubi or Fox.'_

**"I'll call you by name **_**and**_** give you my name when I think you're worthy of such luxuries. Until then, you will just be 'boy' or 'human' while you will address me as you've done before. I will not tolerate being ridiculed by name though, understand?"**

_'Of course, Kyuubi-san,'_ replied the boy with a mental grin before their mental connection was dropped. Naruto then blinked as his mind returned to the outside world focus and he noticed that the clock had passed about half an hour. He sighed and leaned his chin on his left palm.

It was gonna be a long day.

**X-x-X-x-X**

As soon as class ended, Naruto was out the door and bounding across the rooftops at high speed. He was a blur to many and his form left a strangely dark "tail" as he passed by; much to the interest of a couple higher up shinobi.

As soon as he reached his destination, he came to an immediate stop with the "wings" of his clothes open to help slow his momentum. He looked to them curiously as Kage came out of his shadow.

_"Is there an issue with the clothes?"_

"No, just wondering if the wings actually move with me."

**"They affect your travel rate,"** answered the fox. **"They streamline themselves when you need speed and catch the wind to help slow you down. Eventually, you will be able to take them off and use them as weapons. But not now, boy."**

"Huh… That's pretty cool. Anyway, let's get started on my Darkness training."

_"Very well, my King. Let us start with the first lesson of drawing out Darkness. It would be the same as you drawing out your chakra, only the feel of it would be different."_

Naruto nodded and sat down to focus on his inner energies. His eyes were closed in concentration as he held his palms up. A crease formed in his brow as he concentrated harder before he felt something.

It was fluid, yet at the same time smoky to his senses as he willed it to move towards his hands. From the palms, a hazy black aura began to form, flickering like a weak flame and licking his fingers. Like fire, it swayed and danced with the breeze while it passed through his fingers like smoke.

_"Wonderful! You've called forth your Darkness!"_ praised Kage with her crooked grin showing. _"Now, the next step is using it as is. The aura protects your hands as well as strengthens them in your attacks." _She then moved to a random tree and left a scratch mark on it. _"Strike my mark with your Darkness, and you'll see what I mean."_

The red-blonde nodded and stepped up to the tree trunk with the Darkness still covering his hands. He clenched his right fist, making the Darkness enshroud it in its aura, before he struck the scratch mark on the tree. He was surprised when he felt no pain like he usually would from the rough bark and that the claw mark gained a faint crack in it.

"Interesting," he muttered before he began striking the tree repeatedly with various punches and kicks, trying different forms of attack to hit the bark with. He finally hit it with a twin fist strike that snapped the slowly breaking tree, causing it to fall over while he panted slightly at the exertion of energy.

**"Not bad, but you could've done it faster if you didn't try out those new maneuvers. Just fight on instinct; let your body act on its own. It's the best way to attack."**

"Instinctual combat?"

_"That's actually a sound idea, my Lord. If your body is able to act and fight on pure instinct, then you're free to plan and think about the fight you're in more readily. However, learning to fight on instinct would require a partner, which we don't have at the moment since I fight differently than humans."_

Naruto nodded with a thoughtful hum. "True… I suppose we'll hold off on that for a while. What's next for Darkness training?"

Kage gave another crooked smile as she answered, _"Next up is…"_

**X-x-X-x-X**

A couple months had passed since the night Naruto became his Darkness and met his new comrades. He trained vigorously with Kage on controlling his Darkness and was currently learning how to create a _**Dark Fireball**_ with his own power. However, it was slow going for the Uzumaki; and that was low balling the situation.

Currently, Naruto was staring down at a section of the village that was currently releasing a tremendous level of Darkness that attracted him. He tried to ignore it, but it was so dense that he couldn't help heading over to see the source.

And that source was the Uchiha Clan being wiped out by one of its own.

_"Such a heavy Darkness,"_ commented Kage as she stood next to him. _"This night has presented you with a unique opportunity, my Lord."_

"Oh?" questioned the Uzumaki.

She nodded and explained, _"The Darkness here is quite dense enough for you to control. However, it won't be easy since this is __**external**__ Darkness and not __**internal**__." _She then pointed to the air above the Uchiha Clan sector, where dozens of pink objects were floating upward before disappearing into nothingness. _"The Hearts here are being released and ensnared by forces between Light and Darkness. Heartless like you and I grow stronger by absorbing Hearts, so we could use them to strengthen ourselves enough for you to take hold of this external Darkness."_

The red-blonde nodded before he – with Kage on his shoulder – leapt high into the air and used the wings of his clothes to float down to the Uchiha sector. He landed atop a high electrical pole and took a deep breath to calm himself before he raised his right hand to the sky.

"Hear me, oh Hearts quivering with Hatred," he called out as he called his Darkness to his right hand. "Come forth and lend me your power so that I may take hold of this Darkness you escape from." His eyes shot open, pure pools of black, as he yelled, "Give me strength!"

To a certain Uchiha teen who had just finished incapacitating his younger brother, the sight before him was truly beholding. His clan's dojutsu was activated and it allowed him to see strange hazy shapes of energy heading for a large source of chakra mixed with the same hazy power. The figure had their hand reaching to the heavens as the haziness swirled around him and converging onto his outstretched hand.

A sudden feeling of something strange caused him to turn around and take note of another hazy source come out of his deceased mother as soon as her chakra faded away to signify her death. He frowned as it flew toward the figure before he leapt up to get a closer look.

He had expected many different culprits for this, but never once did he think to suspect the vessel of the Kyuubi to be behind the strange phenomenon. His normally violet eyes were nothing more than pools of pure black that made him get the sensation of falling into Darkness when he looked into them. The heart shaped hole in his chest made him deepen his frown, growing concerned for the Uzumaki boy.

Before he could speak, he took note of his mother's hazy energy resting on the boy's palm above the other energies. His frown lessened to a look of curiosity as he increased the chakra output in his eyes, activating the famed Mangekyou stage of his Sharingan. As soon as he did, he saw that the hazy energy was in the shape of a bright Heart, shaped just like one would see in a drawing. He even felt his mother's essence coming from said Heart.

"You don't have to worry," stated the red-blonde without turning to the older male. "Her core will make up the consciousness of your clan's Darkness, just as my mother's essence made up a part of the consciousness of my Heart."

Itachi took note of the strange dark creature looking at him with bright violet eyes that reminded him of his mother's redheaded friend that visited a lot. He then turned back to the boy and calmly queried, "Why do this? My clan had nothing to do with you."

This time, Naruto turned to face him with a strangely calm smile on his face. "I do this…because my Heart wishes for me to."

The Heart of Mikoto was then enshrouded by the Darkness that the boy had collected before it took the form of something exactly like Kage, save for the eyes. Instead of bright yellow like average Shadow Heartless or violet like Kage's, the eyes were blood red with three black tomoe in each one. This stunned Itachi since he had never once heard of or seen his mother using the Uchiha dojutsu before.

"Uchiha-san," Naruto began, "meet Kurai, the Heart of the Uchiha Clan's Hatred. She will be fighting by my side along with Kage from now on."

The newly named Kurai bowed to Itachi in greeting before it spoke with Mikoto's voice, _"Her Heart wanted me to tell you that she forgives you, Itachi-san, and that she knows you will do what is right."_

Itachi's eyes widened at that before they closed and he bowed his head sadly. When he reopened them and turned back to look at Naruto, he noticed that the boy was gone and that he was left alone in the dark of the night. Releasing a single tear, he whispered, "I will do my best…kaa-san."

With that, Itachi left the village, leaving Sasuke Uchiha as the last Uchiha of the Leaf while Naruto had gained a new partner of Darkness.

**X-x (End Chapter) x-X**

**And that's the end of chapter two! I really had some trouble deciding on how to display this chapter, but I think I did pretty well!**

**As it stands, Naruto has two Heartless at his side; Kage (Kushina's will) and Kurai (Mikoto and the Uchiha). Both will grow and evolve as Heartless with Kage's final form being a defensive one while Kurai's will be offensive.**

**A hint to what their final forms will be: they are secret bosses from the Kingdom Hearts games! Have fun guessing who they are, people!**

**Until next time, everyone!**

**pain17ification**


	3. Chapter 3: The First Step

**Hello to everyone on FanFiction! I am pain17ification bringing you chapter three of this story!**

**Guess what?! The **_**Naruto**_** manga has finally ended with Chapter 700!**

**I own nothing from the original works owned by Kishimoto and Disney!**

**X-x-X-x-X**

_Emptiness Chapter Three_

_The First Step of the Thousand Miles_

**X-x-X-x-X**

A bird chirping was the first sound Naruto heard as he opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling of the Uzumaki Shrine that had become his home for the past seven years. He slowly sat up from his sleeping mat and stretched his arms over his head to get the morning kinks out.

When he lowered them, his gaze turned to the mask covered wall in front of him and the empty pedestal that once held the Heartless Crown. He stood up, as bare as the day he was born, and moved to a small room that had been retrofitted into a small bathroom thanks to the Third Hokage.

Looking in his reflection, a redheaded teen with yellow side bangs and hair that reached his upper back stared back at him. Three whisker marks on each cheek were seen, along with violet eyes that had pitch black sclera. With a calm breath, the teen fluxed his power and summoned forth his clothes that the Kyuubi had gifted him with.

Satisfied, he left the small bathroom and headed out of the shrine towards the village. From his own shadow, his two Heartless companions appeared and began to travel alongside him. Kurai, the embodiment of the Uchiha Clan's Hatred, waddled in her Shadow form while Kage floated next to him, having changed over the years.

No longer was she a Shadow Heartless. She had evolved over the years and now had a spherical body that was pitch black and streaked with dark blue. Glowing violet eyes were seen staring ahead as she floated beside her lord. The inside of her mouth was blue, and the mouth itself was a jagged, toothy opening. She also had three thick, black and blue tentacles with frayed, pink tips sprouting out of her body; two on top and one on her underside.

_"You meet your teacher today, correct Naruto-sama?"_ asked Kurai, her Sharingan eyes turning to her creator.

"Correct," he answered as he kept his pace. "The Hokage told me that I would meet them today in his office."

_"Will that Toad Sage be there?"_ Kage asked.

"Possibly… He may still be on edge with how you attacked him when we met him."

_"Forgive me, my Lord. I just felt this urge to destroy him when he revealed himself to be your godfather. I believe the part of me that is your mother's Heart influenced that urge."_

"Understandable; but try to control yourself in the future. From what you've told me from the memories you've seen, my mother was a very outgoing woman."

The first meeting between Naruto and Jiraiya of the Sannin was quite…interesting.

[Flashback]

The Human Heartless had been called to the old Kage's office about a week before the current day. He stood before the man calmly, absently noting the white haired man leaning on the wall by the window. From what the red-blonde felt from him, the man was powerful enough to rival a Kage.

"Naruto, do you know why I've called you here?" asked Hiruzen.

"No I do not, Hokage-san," replied the teen, moving his gaze to the crystal ball on the elder's desk. "But I have a guess."

The man caught his gaze and smirked. "Looks like the kid's pretty perceptive there, sensei. Although, I'm more curious about that little…deformity that you have on your chest, gaki."

Naruto raised a brow and asked, "Who is this man, Hokage-san?"

"This is Jiraiya, one of my old students. He's here to check on something that concerns you and to report on a few things that are classified," answered the Hokage. "I need you to show Jiraiya your abdomen, Naruto."

The teen crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes slightly. "For what purpose do you need to see the seal holding back the Kyuubi?"

The men didn't show any surprise at the Uzumaki already knowing about the seal, though they had hoped he wouldn't have known. "I want him to see if the seal has weakened and if the fox has influenced these…changes you've gone through."

"Just relax, kid," Jiraiya said in hopes of reassuring the teen. "I'm practically the only one left alive who's qualified to check over that seal the Fourth placed on you."

"And why should I believe you?" fired back the Uzumaki, calling on his dark power just in case. "I don't even know you, let alone trust you with something that concerns me so deeply."

The man sighed and moved away from where he was leaning. "Kid, the Fourth Hokage was my student and I taught him practically everything he knew about sealing that was taught to him by his wife."

"You mean by my mother," noted Naruto with a scowl, with Jiraiya nodding absently.

"Right, by your- Wait! You know?!"

"I've _known_ for quite some time now. I also know that the Fourth was my own father."

"Who told you this, Naruto?" asked Hiruzen seriously. "Was it the Kyuubi…or that shadowy creature that refers to you as its Lord?"

The teen turned to the elder and his scowl deepened. "So you _were_ spying on me… I shouldn't be surprised since the Jinchuriki is a village's greatest asset."

"That's not why I did it, Naruto!" argued the Hokage. "I did it because I was concerned about the changes you had gone through!"

"Then why not just come and ask me in person? Why the secrecy?" His dark power began to surge, covering him in a flickering dark violet aura while his two Heartless emerged from his shadow, claws at the ready. "Why are you so ready to interfere in my life and drive away the people who wish to help me?"

"What do you mean?" asked Hiruzen as he and Jiraiya eyed the Shadows warily.

"Don't pretend you don't know," calmly stated Naruto, showing no emotion in the slightest while his power surged more. Two ANBU dropped their disguises and stood next to their leader defensively as the red-blonde continued, "You gave Gai-san a Genin team when he was teaching me how to better survive. You ordered Itachi to wipe out his own people and forced him to flee as a criminal for his heroic actions. And you drove away your own student who taught me just what the Heart is capable of; what _Darkness_ is capable of."

Hiruzen frowned at the teen's declarations while the two ANBU and Jiraiya looked surprised at one of them in particular. "How do you know about Itachi's order?"

"I was there that night. It's how Kurai came to be," answered the teen as said Heartless flexed her claws and bored into their eyes with her Sharingan.

The Hokage kept his frown as he waved his two ANBU away. "Leave us, and do not speak of what you've heard today. Is that clear?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," saluted the two operatives before they disappeared.

"So," began Jiraiya, "the massacre was not truly as grim as people were led to believe. What the hell happened to warrant such action, sensei?"

A snort caught his attention and he turned to see Naruto receding his dark power. "It's obvious as to why he had Itachi do it. The Uchiha were never satisfied with their position in the Hidden Leaf and planned a coup d'état to usurp the Hokage of his position and take over. Itachi was under the Hokage and reported the coup, which eventually led to him being chosen to secretly wipe them out. Of course, he left his younger brother, Sasuke, alive; for personal reasons most likely."

"Yes," tiredly confirmed the old man. "Itachi asked for only once condition for his actions and that was the life of his younger sibling. He wished for Sasuke to redeem the Uchiha by killing him in the future."

"But he never counted on me being there that night," Naruto noted. "The hate filled Hearts of the Uchiha were gathered together that night, and with their gathering Kurai was created; the Embodiment of their Hatred."

"You're sounding more and more like Orochimaru every time I see you now, Naruto," commented the Hokage.

"Then I'm pleased. He taught me much, and it'd be a waste to ignore such teachings."

"I'd be careful about trusting him, Naruto," warned Jiraiya. "My old teammate was always the enigmatic one."

"And why should I trust you more?"

"Because I'm your godfather," revealed the Toad Sage.

As soon as those words were said, Kage's eyes flashed angrily and she leapt at the Sannin. Not expecting the sudden attack, Jiraiya was barely able to duck under her leaping attack and moved away as she kept trying to rip him apart.

_"You bastard!"_ she raged, shocking both men as her voice sounded as close to Kushina as ever. _"You left him alone all of these years when you could've watched over him! We trusted you with him!"_

"Kage!" yelled Naruto sternly, making her stop and turn to her Lord who was scowling at her. "Control yourself," he ordered before he looked to her curiously. "You're changing."

True to his word, Kage's body began to bulge and inflate into a spherical shape before dark shadows covered her form. Soon, those shadows gained color and form, and Kage was revealed with her new status as a Darkball Heartless. She turned to Naruto while looking down in shame.

_"Forgive me, my Lord… I… I was…"_

"Compose yourself, Kage. We will discuss this later."

She nodded and floated over to his side while the two adult men were left speechless at the evolution that had happened. After some tense moments of silence, Jiraiya spoke up. "Well, considering how she pointed out some important subjects, I believe I should explain my absence in your life, kid."

"Save it," interrupted the teen. "I don't care where you were, what you were doing, or even if you care about me or not. What matters now is that I grow stronger so that I may eventually regain my own Heart. Nothing else matters."

Hiruzen cleared his throat, both to bring attention to him and to stop Jiraiya from speaking. "Well, the first step to that, Naruto, would be to become a Genin. Once you do, you will be taught by a Jonin of the village."

"Then I would like to request that _you_ test me, Hokage-san."

"Me? Why not the Academy teachers?"

"They've let the Darkness in their Hearts cloud their judgments about me and have tried their best to hamper my progress. I was fortunate enough to be taught by Kage and Kurai while the Kyuubi also added some input."

"So the fox _has_ talked with you," confirmed Jiraiya.

"Of course it has," Naruto stated with a small eye roll. "It is sealed within me with nothing better to do than watch my life go by and wait for me to perish…or for some other coincidence to free it."

**"Actually, I've grown quite intrigued with how your future will turn out; so I've decided to stay until you've passed on,"** noted the fox, making Naruto mentally raise a brow in interest, though he said nothing.

Hiruzen sighed at the idiocy of his people before he nodded. "Very well, I will test you. Should you pass, I'll instate you as a Genin and then I want you to come back here in one week to meet your instructor."

Naruto nodded before he prepared himself for the Hokage's Genin Test.

[End Flashback]

Needless to say, Naruto had passed due to having a non-prejudiced tester for his exam. He had performed a perfect _**Transformation**_ jutsu and _**Replacement **_jutsu while he had his two Heartless change into shadowy forms of him for his _**Clone**_ portion of the test.

Of course, the Hokage had given Naruto a more useful jutsu to fix the issue of his clones. While his Heartless made decent clones, their forms were much to dark to be considered actual clones. So, Hiruzen had given Naruto access to the _**Shadow Clone**_ jutsu; which he brought to a usable level within the span of half an hour.

Now a Genin, he was given access to shinobi stores for supplies, weaponry, and other useful items that he might need in the future. What was even better was that the shopkeepers of these stores held no contempt for him and treated him fairly. He had even bought a small sword to help him prepare for when he summoned his own KeyBlade.

He walked up the stairs leading to the Hokage's office, his Heartless back in his shadow, and knocked on the door. Once he was granted entrance, he stepped in to the sight of many Jonin standing before the Hokage while Jiraiya sat on the windowsill.

"Ah, Naruto," greeted the elder with a kind smile, "Right on time."

Naruto nodded back in greeting while the Jonin all looked to him curiously with some looking at his slightly covered heart-shaped hole in shock; save for one who grinned brightly enough for his teeth to sparkle. "Naruto-kun, I see you've grown well into your youth!" greeted Maito Gai exuberantly.

"Gai-san," returned Naruto. "I'm surprised you're here since I was under the impression you already had a team. I met one of your students a few days ago when I purchased my sword."

Gai gave a "nice guy" pose and replied, "You mean Tenten! Yes, she is one of my students and is the most qualified to help you find a sword considering her weapon skills! I'm pleased you two met already!"

"If I may continue," Hiruzen stated, stopping the conversation from going any further. "The teams have been decided. Team One will…" He went through the first teams and sent away their sensei, leaving four unknown – to Naruto – Jonin, Gai, and Jiraiya with the Hokage while Naruto sat on the couch patiently. "Team Seven will be led by Kakashi. Your students will be Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, and Uchiha Sasuke. Team Eight will be led by Kurenai and will consist of Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Kurama Yakumo. Gai is still training Team Nine, so Team Ten will consist of Akamichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino. You will be their sensei, Asuma."

The four Jonin nodded, leaving the last to tilt her head in confusion. She was relatively young with violet hair that was held in a fanned out ponytail and brown pupil less eyes. She wore a tan trench coat that covered her mesh shirt, orange skirt, and armored legs. Her Leaf headband was resting on her forehead while a dango stick stuck out of her mouth like a toothpick.

"What about me, old man?" she asked.

"Anko, your student is already here. I've decided to accept your Proposal of Apprenticeship and have decided on Naruto as the candidate. I have tested him personally with Jiraiya here being a witness, so I've no doubt that he'll be a good student for you."

The woman turned to the red-blonde who was sitting on the couch cross-legged with his eyes closed, as if meditating. She furrowed her brow and stepped up to him, bending down so that she was looking directly at his face just as his eyes slowly opened.

The dark eyes that stared back into her brown orbs nearly froze her. They were so…empty, as if he was missing a very crucial part of his existence. She hummed thoughtfully as she stood back to her full height. "Alright kid, meet me at the entrance of Training Field 44 in an hour. Got it?"

"Hai, Anko-san," answered the teen.

"Oi, that's Anko-_sensei_ to you, gaki."

Naruto didn't grace her with an answer until he reached the door. "Teach me something…then you will be referred to as 'sensei', Anko-san."

As he left, the woman couldn't help but smirk at the backbone the kid had. To deny her was ballsy, and she liked ballsy. She turned to her leader and her smirk grew into a grin. "Thanks for the fresh meat, old man! I'll be sure to make him into one of the village's finest!"

"Be sure that you do. He knows quite a bit about most of the secrets concerning him, and the village needs him. Also…you should know that your old teacher taught him a few things already."

She frowned slightly. Her time as Orochimaru's apprentice was pretty short lived due to her not really grasping what he was trying to teach her concerning the Heart. When she went for a last resort in order to understand, she had accepted a seal that brought out her inner Darkness which influenced her thoughts and actions.

Of course, her Heart could never truly handle the strain of said Darkness. So, Orochimaru renounced her as his student, but let her keep the _**Dark Mark**_ in hopes that she would one day grasp what he tried to teach. She didn't hate the man for what he did since she asked for the seal, but she was still a bit miffed about being dropped so readily when he could've taught her other things.

Then again, her snake based jutsu and fighting style were both useful and she still appreciated those teachings over the Heart based ones.

"What exactly did he teach the boy?" asked Kurenai, having been told by Anko about her old teacher. The two were close friends to the point of being surrogate sisters, so they knew quite a bit about one another.

"It seems that Naruto was taught what you failed to truly grasp, Anko. This was the main reason why I had him chosen as your apprentice, since I believe that you both can help one another," informed the Hokage.

Anko nodded before she left via the window while the other Jonin left through the office doors. Now alone with his student, the Hokage sighed and removed his hat before rubbing his bald head. "Not easy retaking the hat, huh sensei?" asked Jiraiya.

"No, it isn't. It seems to be getting harder each day." He then clasped his hands and propped his elbows on his desk, allowing him to thoughtfully breathe into his hands. "A replacement Hokage will need to be decided soon."

"Well, you know I'm not gonna do it, and Orochimaru has his own village as well; the Hidden Sound in the Land of Rice Paddies, I believe."

"True, which leaves Tsunade as the last choice. Though, I hardly believe that she'll willingly come and take the title that her deceased loved ones strived for."

"She might come back if it means taking care of the gaki. I mean, she still doesn't know he's alive and is technically related to her. If anything, she may come back and whip the hospital into shape."

Hiruzen nodded. "Yes, that is also an option. At any rate, I still have some time to decide. However, when I _do_ have you go find Tsunade, I want you to take Naruto and Anko with you. Have Tsunade look at that hole in his chest."

"Right," agreed Jiraiya seriously before he left his teacher alone in his office.

**X-x-X-x-X**

Naruto was nearly at the walkway that would lead to the training field he was told to go. He had heard rumors of Training Field 44, and the biggest was the moniker for the field; the Forest of Death. Of course, such rumors never really bothered him.

A forest filled with death? Better than a void of endless nothingness. (1)

"Excuse me," a voice called out, making Naruto stop and calmly turn to see a silverette teen standing in a field he was passing; Field 43, he believed. "You wouldn't happen to be Uzumaki Naruto, would you?"

"That depends on what you're asking about?" replied the Uzumaki.

"I come on behalf of a mutual friend of ours; a certain white snake."

Naruto's eyes barely widened before they calmed again. "I see… Then yes, I am Naruto."

"I'm surprised with your changes, Uzumaki-kun. From what Orochimaru-sama told me, I believed you to be much different than your current countenance."

"Some…events happened that influenced my changes; events that Orochimaru spoke to me about." He then asked, "What is your name?"

"I'm Yakushi Kabuto, a mutual friend of Orochimaru who was asked to look out for you by him. If you wish, I could inform him that we've met and arrange a meeting between you both?"

The Human Heartless nodded. "That would be appreciated. I'll look forward to the meeting. For now though, I need to meet my instructor at the next training field."

"Of course," acquiesced the silverette. "I'll be sure to inform Orochimaru-sama for you, Uzumaki-kun."

"Arigato, Yakushi-san."

With that, Kabuto left while Naruto resumed heading for the training field. Once he was alone on his path, his Heartless made themselves known and Kage asked, _"Are you sure that Orochimaru can be trusted, my Lord?"_

"He was the one who first informed me of Hearts, Light, and Darkness. It's because of him that I can fully believe in the power of such things and can fully appreciate you both as my companions."

_"You're too kind to us, Master,"_ Kurai noted. _"I promise not to abuse that kindness. It helps combat the hatred that rages in the Hearts I carry."_

Naruto nodded as he kept walking, preparing himself for his first meeting with his potential instructor. However, it was thoughts on the eventual meeting with Orochimaru that filled his mind. _'How far have you gotten in your search, Orochimaru? Have you seen as much Darkness as I carry…or have you found the Light instead?'_

**X-x-X-x-X**

**1~ This will be important later**

**And that's a wrap for Chapter Three! I hope I'm doing well with this story since it's my sole "Dedication" story. If you guys see issues with it at all, please let me know! PM me and point it out to me! And as always, please review this story! It's great to see you all appreciate the work I put into my stories!**

**Until next time!**

**pain17ification**


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